Observaciónes sobre México

James is here to offer some observations after almost a full week in Mexico:

The street vendors are legion. Ever since we got here we have heard an amplified voice calling out loudly, every night, right around dusk. I thought perhaps we lived around a mosque. And then I remembered that Mexicans don't have mosques. Or at least not many of them. Finally, last night I realized that the voice was ambulatory, and was indeed gaining in volume as it approached ever nearer to our quiet little apartment. "Tamaaaaaales....Tamaaaales"

I have been taking the subway everyday to work in the archives and my favorite vendors are the ones selling CDs caseros--i.e. homemade mixes. "Salsa Romantico! Como le guste! Come se acuerde, más de cien éxitos!" (You have to imagine the curious pitch that the barkers use, high and long and then tapering off into something that sounds like a question). Yesterday I took the train. When I at last disembarked at San Lazaro I walked from the last car to the exit on the far side of the platform, meanwhile taking the moment to peer into the individual cars through their gaping open doors. I observed pencils being sold in one car, flashlights in the next, a reggaeton mix in the next....

Next, two observations about class: First, there is definitely an underclass here. And let's not mince words--they are definitely darker. It's not that the United States doesn't have a similar underclass, (Katrina?) it just seems they are more hidden in the furthest reaches of our urban corners. Or waiting on us in large bureaucracies like hospitals, the DMV, Verizon's phonebank, etc. The Mexican "middle class" (let's call it that) and above, likewise, have people waiting on them constantly. But they are anything but invisible. There is an army of chofers, shoe shiners, maids (even we have one), etc. serving often lighter-skinned, better-off, Mexicans. The difference: in the United States good self-respecting liberals feel bad about this fact. That doesn't excuse it or really make it any better however. 

But, more importantly, second: it's wonderful how you can feel social protest in the air. Maybe the government allows manifestantes to make their presence known, even if the changes that the protesters are pushing for will more than likely never transpire. Maybe, the protesters are even paid to protest and promote the actions of one faction or another. But the fact remains, we've seen at least two small-scale protests (something about the earth) and one large-scale protest (about Panismo in Morelos) since we've arrived. It's wonderful that there is allowance for social protest in the Mexican national space. I also think that, if the whole doctoral "ex-slaves in Mexico" thing doesn't work out, I am going to move here permanently and open up a banner production shop. "No al cierre de Michoacan," "Primero los pobres: ¿Cómo Dando Delgado?" We see a new sign every day around here in Colonia Cuauhtemoc and in Zona Rosa; they're always white banners hanging from balconies with large block letters printed on them. In the United States, they wouldn't let that shit stay up. No way. Which is more Democratic? If Mexico had money would  a stratified class society exist like it does in the United States? Or does the state allow the protests to happen and absorb some of the leaders in order to maintain status quo? At least there is consciousness here.

Finally, a word on Chiles en Nogada. We had the vegetarian version of this wonderful dish for lunch today. It is a chile stuffed with pork (or in our case, ground soy) and covered with pomagranite seeds and  a purée of walnut sauce. Like, a lot of walnut sauce. The special thing about it is that the chile (verde), the nogada (walnut sauce-blanco), and pomagranite (rojo) together comprise the tri-color of the Mexican flag. So ¡Qué viva México! Y esperamos con ansia el 16, o el aniversario 198 del grito de Hidalgo desde la iglesia de Delores. We'll take pictures of the celebration: maybe we'll even see AMLO speak...seems like a good occasion for a protest.